Doorway to the Archipelagos Restaurant, the tables are many steps below on the side of the cliff.
The Akrotiri tour bus dropped us
off at the southern edge of Fira, near an impressive Greek Orthodox monastery. I immediately set off to find an ATM, while
C. chatted with Gerogina the tour guide.
I came back hoping to give Gerogina a nice tip for her great tour, but
she had left already, so C. and I started walking through the town center to
meet up with L. and G. Our pre-arranged
meeting place was near the cable-car entrance, so we headed there, following
the signs painted on the walls of the shops.
What a bustling, crowded town! The
streets were narrow, steep, and at odd angles, and with colorful shops-- we
passed several shops that looked very interesting, and made mental notes to
return after lunch.
Whitewashed walls of a Greek Orthodox monastery in Fira, Santorini
The town of Fira -- living on the edge in Santorini.
The crowds became quite thick as
we neared the cable-car entrance. Why
the cable-cars? Because Fira is a town
perched on the edge of the steep volcanic cliff, 1150 ft above the sea. Visitors landing on the shore have a choice
of either climbing the 600-odd steps on the zig-zag cobblestone road, or hire a
donkey to ride on. The local donkey owners
make a nice living off the tourists too tired to make the climb. The other alternative is the cable-car, which
is not cheap, involves long queues of grumpy passengers, and takes about 15
minutes for the ascent and descent. When
C. and I waited for L. & G. we could observe the short-tempers of the
tourists waiting for the cable-car to take them back down to the shore, one
fist-fight nearly broke out when some women tried to cut into the line! Fortunately we avoided any melee and found
our friends, all four of us hot, thirsty and hungry. We stopped at a lovely taverna just at the entrance of the zig-zag cobblestone path down
to the shore and grabbed a table which gave us a perfect view of the sparkling
Aegean below with the numerous ships, including our cruise ship, at anchor in
the bay. Lunch was a sampling of the
salads, dolmades, hummus and pita bread, with ouzo and Greek beer. For dessert
we had the best baklava ever. L. &
G. had been to a wine-tasting tour that morning and came away with a bottle of
Vinsanto, meaning Holy Wine, which they promised to share at our post-cruise
reunion. Our waiter was so friendly, he
offered to take our photo, a rare pic of what we all agreed was our favorite
day.
Kastr Taverna near the cable-car entrance, and the site of a lovely lunch.
The dazzling view from our table at the Kastr Taverna. The bay is deep enough for several cruise ships. Note the crater-island in the center of the bay.
Refreshed, and after doing some
shopping, we debated whether to walk down or fight our way through the queue
for the cable-cars. I think the vote was
three against one to walk, so we reluctantly left that lovely town, not wishing
to miss the last tender back to the cruise ship. We had been warned to expect a strong aroma
of sweaty donkeys and donkey dung on the zig-zag path. It was tricky to watch where you step when
you can’t take your eyes off the view.
The donkeys were adorned with leather pack saddles and colorful blankets
– “kilimia” – and colored beads on their harnesses, very picturesque. They were also a hazard, being ridden by
overweight tourists unskilled at donkey-handling -- I was nearly crushed
against the wall by more than one out-of-control donkey.
The start of the 600-step path back down the cliff to the shore.
Donkeys for hire.
On the path from Fira back down to the tender dock on the shore.
Come to me all ye who are burdened.
The lightweight tender bounced us
over the waves on the bay back to the cruise ship, with the view of Fira
clinging to the edge of the cliff above us.
The path we had descended from Fira to the shore was clearly visible,
and we all sighed with a tinge of regret.
Santorini was a wonderful stop on this cruse, and for me a wonderful
diverse spectrum of the history of the Aegean region, a panorama of the
beginnings of Western Civilization, and I will certainly return.
Next: Naples and a tour of Herculaneum...
No comments:
Post a Comment